This invention relates to biscuit cutting apparatuses, and more specifically to an apparatus for cutting biscuits that eliminates the re-rolling and waste of dough.
As most cooks and housewives are aware, the making of biscuits conventionally comprises the steps of: (1) preparation of the dough; (2) rolling of the dough into a flat mass of a prescribed height; (3) cutting circular dough biscuits from the mass; (4) collecting the excess dough, reshaping it into a ball, and re-rolling it into another flat mass of the same prescribed height from which additional biscuits are cut; and (5) repeating step number (4) until all the dough is used. This operation is rather time-consuming and requires some skill and experience in rolling the dough so that it does not stick to the roller or the cutting surface, and cutting the dough biscuits in such a manner as to maximize the dough usage with each roll. Even so, re-rolling of the dough results in a biscuit of inferior quality, because the warmth of the hand as the dough is gathered and rolled again makes the final product tougher, and the addition of excess flour required to re-roll the dough makes the resulting biscuit drier. Thus, the present inventor has recognized that superior biscuits may be more easily made if the re-rolling step can be eliminated. The inventor of the present invention has further determined that the re-roll can be eliminated, if the consumer is willing to accept square or rectangular biscuits. It is not believed that this is a barrier that cannot be overcome.
There have been attempts in the prior art to produce dough cutting apparatuses or techniques. For example, one early approach to slicing bread utilizes a wooden box with a plurality of equally spaced slots in the side walls through which a string was inserted to slice bread dough within the box into slices. Also, an early attempt to slice biscuit dough involved a rectangular dough forming pan utilized in conjunction with a pizza cutter to cut the dough apart and bake it in the same pan. The results were unsatisfactory, because bisquits need to be separated.
The inventor has had in use in recent years a commercial unit including a rectangular frame with a plurality of equally spaced slots and a simple straight blade. The straight cutting blade is inserted between corresponding guide slots in opposite walls to initially cut the biscuits.
All of these approaches, while having some merit, fall somewhat short of the mark in providing a biscuit cutting apparatus satisfactory for domestic or home usage by the housewife or home cook. For example, the domestic cook may wish to vary the size of the biscuits from time to time, depending upon the occasion for which the biscuits are being made. The cutting surface of the aforesaid approaches may become bowed or warped, with the result that a straight edge cutter blade will not satisfactorily cut the biscuit dough. The cutter may be inadvertently drawn completely through the slots in the side walls during the cutting operation, thereby resulting in unacceptable cuts or wasted time. Further, the earlier apparatus does not include a flour trough for enabling the housewife or domestic cook to easily maintain flour on the cutting blade.
It is against this type of background that the present invention was developed. The present invention is directed to an apparatus for assisting in the rolling and cutting of biscuit dough, which apparatus is specifically designed for home or domestic usage by the housewife or domestic cook. It is simple and easy to use, ensures a good cut of the biscuit dough, and allows the domestic cook the flexibility of selecting whether she/he wants to produce large, medium, or small size biscuits.
In general, the present invention is directed to a dough compartment formed by planar cutting surface surrounded by a rectangular frame having a plurality of side walls. The height of the side walls is substantially equal to the thickness of biscuit dough to be formed therein. Each of the side walls include a pattern of vertical slots extending from the top thereof down to the planar cutting surface. A separate cutting blade having a length greater than the distance between opposed side walls and a thickness less than the width of the aforementioned slots is inserted in corresponding slots in opposed walls and manipulated back and forth to make a slice through the biscuit dough. After the cutting blade has been introduced into all of the selected slots for a prescribed size of biscuits, the biscuits are then separated and ready for placement on a biscuit sheet for baking.
The slots are arranged in such a pattern that different sets of equal width slices may be made between each pair of opposed side walls. Thus, large biscuits may be formed, medium sized biscuits may be formed, or small party size biscuits may be formed merely by utilizing the same cutting blade in conjunction with different slot groupings.
The cutting blade itself is uniquely designed in order to facilitate the cutting operation and ensure against defective cuts. Toward this end, the operative edge of the cutting blade is formed with an arcuate or bowed configuration along the length thereof, so that by rocking the blade, the entire cutting surface will be engaged through the biscuit dough and a good clean cut will be made. Further, the blade includes an enlarged portion or bead at each end thereof, which enlarged portion is of greater width than the corresponding slots in the side wall, whereby during the actual slicing operation the blade cannot be inadvertently pulled through the side wall resulting in an improper slice.
Finally, in an alternate embodiment a flour trough may be formed integrally with or affixed to one side wall of the cutting frame. The flour trough extends outwardly from the side wall and is of a length greater than that of the cutting blade. During use, the cutting blade may be periodically dipped in the trough containing flour to maintain a good floured cutting blade.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a biscuit cutting apparatus specifically designed for domestic use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a biscuit cutting apparatus of the type described, which eliminates the necessity for re-rolling of the dough.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a biscuit cutting apparatus of the type described in which a user can selectively form large, medium, or small biscuits of equal size with a single rolling.